Agencies
Responding to Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann’s allegations, dissident AAP MLA Sukhpal Khaira Wednesday made a counter allegation that Mann’s resignation as state president following Arvind Kejriwal’s apology to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia earlier this year was a mutually agreed exercise with Delhi leadership.

Addressing mediapersons here, Khaira, flanked by fellow MLA Kanwar Sandhu, said that the secret of Mann’s resignation tumbled out when state in-charge Manish Sisodia visited his house four months back. “When I invited Manish Sisodia to my home, he told me that you react too early on every issue. He told me that Bhagwant Mann’s resignation was part of AAP strategy. You should also do so with our consent,” said Khaira.

Stating that Bhagwant Mann was like his younger brother, Khaira went on to say that his utterances appeared out of “personal hatred, frustration and some sort of depression”.

Khaira demanded to know that now that Mann had accepted the state president’s position once again, should this mean that the issue of Kejriwal’s apology was over. “Have you put your stamp of approval on Kejriwal’s apology? Also tell us about the understanding that you have entered with the Congress. You cannot hide it any longer, people of Punjab want to know,” said Khaira.

Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu, meanwhile, said that the allegations made against him by Mann were baseless. He added that Mann and the MLAs of the party who are opposed to the Bathinda convention should clarify whether they were opposed to the resolutions of autonomy passed by the volunteers. “We took a look at the constitution of AAP the other day and found that the workers of the party have been given vast powers. The state political committee which was to be formed has not been initiated till date. This party is just not functioning. There are 58-60 such constituencies in the state which do not have a party in-charge,” he said.

Khaira said that he and his fellow MLAs would now organise a march of farmers in October on the pattern of the one taken out by farmers in Maharashtra.